Page 4A
OPINION
East Oregonian
Friday, May 19, 2017
OTHER VIEWS
Founded October 16, 1875
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Publisher
DANIEL WATTENBURGER
Managing Editor
TIM TRAINOR
Opinion Page Editor
MARISSA WILLIAMS
Regional Advertising Director
MARCY ROSENBERG
Circulation Manager
JANNA HEIMGARTNER
Business Office Manager
MIKE JENSEN
Production Manager
OUR VIEW
Tip of the hat;
kick in the pants
A kick in the pants to the three out of every four eligible voters who
failed to return their ballots to be counted in Tuesday’s election.
In Umatilla County, only 26.3 percent of those registered participated
in the election. In Morrow County the return rate was even lower — 23.8
percent.
We understand why fewer people would
return ballots in May than in a major fall
election. And depending on your district,
this year’s ballots were particularly devoid
of important, contested races. If you live
outside of Hermiston’s school district or
Pendleton’s city limits, for instance, you had
little to vote for or against — and the races
you had the opportunity to chime in on were
limited to a data district, a cemetery board
or a water control district. Not the kind of
political issues that people are champing at
the bit to spend a stamp on.
But voting does matter, and Oregon makes it so easy on us, so we should
get in the habit of returning each and every ballot to have our views counted.
In Pendleton, the returns were enough to pass a $10 million fire bond.
Perhaps the depressed vote tally was even helpful — it allows those heavily
motivated, whether for or against an issue, to have more impact. That same
phenomenon was bad news for the Hermiston School District, however,
which saw its $104 million schools bond defeated.
We respect the will of the voters, whoever they choose and what they
decide. But the higher the voter turnout, the closer the result is to true
democratic expression. That’s a goal to aspire to.
A tip of the hat to the beginning of “construction season” in Eastern
Oregon.
Yes, you read that right, and we had to grit our teeth while writing it.
But all the barrels and cones and “Slow
down” and “Construction zone” signs you’re
seeing do mean progress — eventually.
In Pendleton, major work is getting done on
Westgate, and big projects are starting up on the
ramps to and from Interstate 84 in the city.
Even more heavy construction is underway
in Hermiston, much of it centered in the vicinity
of where highways 395 and 730 merge. Delays
will be part of the daily commute through
the area in the short-term future, according to
Oregon Department of Transportation.
But the delays will give way to faster, smoother, safer traveling once the
construction is complete and finished. Let’s begin counting down the days.
Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the East Oregonian editorial board of publisher
Kathryn Brown, managing editor Daniel Wattenburger, and opinion page editor Tim Trainor.
Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions of the authors and not
necessarily that of the East Oregonian.
OTHER VIEWS
Malware attack an indirect
public service announcement
The Los Angeles Times
T
he particularly nasty computer
program dubbed “WannaCry”
that attacked hospitals, businesses
and government agencies around the
world this past weekend was like a
cybercrime highlight
reel, a compilation
of by-now familiar
elements —
conscience-free
cybercriminals, an
obscure vulnerability
in Microsoft
Windows, older
and ill-maintained
corporate computer
networks and
computer users
tricked into opening booby-trapped
email attachments — that played out on
an epic scale.
What’s different this time is that the
hackers apparently had considerable
help from the U.S. government. They
used a stolen tool reportedly developed
by the National Security Agency
to exploit a hidden weakness in the
Windows operating system and spread
their ransomware far and wide.
The tool was one of many linked to
the NSA that were leaked online last
year, then finally decrypted in April for
use by anyone with the requisite coding
skills.
It’s tempting to howl at the NSA for
not alerting companies like Microsoft
when its researchers find vulnerabilities
in their products. The reality, though,
is that doing so would reduce the
effectiveness of cybertools that have
become an integral part of modern
efforts by agencies like the NSA to
fight terrorism, international criminal
organizations and rogue states. What’s
needed is a better effort to determine
if and when a vulnerability discovered
by the feds represents too great a threat
to keep it secret from the potential
victims. That’s a difficult balance
to strike, and the
decision shouldn’t
be made solely by
the executive branch
without the input of
independent experts
and, potentially,
lawmakers.
The even more
important lesson here
is that years, even
decades of warnings
from security experts
simply aren’t getting through to the
public. WannaCry should not have
reached disastrous proportions —
Microsoft released a patch that could
close the vulnerability in March, well
before the NSA’s tool was decrypted.
Yet tens of thousands of computers
weren’t updated, allowing the malware
the room it needed to spread.
The problem could easily get much,
much worse as more routine devices
become smart, Internet-connected ones.
Evidently we need stronger incentives
not just for companies to release more
secure products, but also for users to
keep them updated and protect their
data with encryption and backups.
That’s what the lawmakers and federal
officials should be focusing on — not
on trying to discourage consumers from
using encryption on their smartphones,
or on building stockpiles of malware
based on vulnerabilities they alone
have found.
The hackers
apparently had
considerable
help from the
U.S. government.
LETTERS POLICY
The East Oregonian welcomes original letters of 400 words or less on public
issues and policies. The newspaper reserves the right to withhold letters that
address concerns about individual services and products or letters that infringe
on the rights of private citizens. Submitted letters must be signed by the author
and include city of residence and a phone number. Send letters to 211 S.E.
Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com.
Trump and the tattlers
F
or a president so given to
and partisans will make enormous
fantasy and fond of alternative
compromises in the name of the team.
facts, Donald Trump has been
But at the end of the day, they’re
right about one thing all along: His
human. They have limits, dignity and
government is a shockingly leaky
the mobile phone numbers of dozens of
vessel.
reporters.
Thank heaven for that.
Trump should understand that.
It’s not judges or senators who
He’s always telling us how smart he
will save us from the worst of Trump,
is but showing us the opposite, and as
Frank
which is most of Trump. His undoing
our parents always warned us, actions
Bruni
will come from within. Be as cynical
speak louder than words.
Comment
as you want about Washington — I
Foolish: to demand such fierce
certainly indulge myself — but there
loyalty from the people around you but
remain insiders with consciences, and some of give precious little in return. It loosens their
them actually work for the president. They’re
lips.
willing to work against him if circumstances
Foolish: to continue to treat the Russians
warrant it. Circumstances have been
with a double scoop of courtesy — here, guys,
warranting it, and here we are.
take a gander at this Islamic State intelligence!
What we’re witnessing is astonishing. I
— amid a continuing investigation into, and
don’t mean Trump’s actions — including
intensifying suspicions about, your exact
the infuriating reports that
degree of coziness with
he divulged highly classified
Moscow.
information to Russian visitors
If he was wagering that
and had asked James Comey
his words to the Russians
to lay off Michael Flynn —
would never leave the room,
though those do qualify. I
well, that’s proof of yet more
mean how reliably these details
foolishness. With Trump,
reached journalists. I mean how
everything has been leaving
reliably Trump’s embarrassing
the room, by some route or
or outrageous behavior
another. If he hasn’t learned
always reaches journalists, as
that yet, he’s uneducable.
government officials use the
There are people around
very media that he demonizes
Trump who see him for
to expose his recklessness,
who and what he is. There
ridicule his cluelessness, warn
are people who work in his
Americans about his intentions
administration not because
and head him off at the pass.
they have high hopes for him
This much leaking this soon
but because they have modest
in an administration explodes
hopes that they can bend
the norms of the White House
things in a better direction
every bit as much as Trump’s
or mitigate damage. None of
own conduct does, and it’s
them were setting themselves
an indication more powerful
up to be moles. But some are
than just about any other of
playing that part.
what kind of president we have. He is so
And so we knew, even before Trump sat
unprepared, shows such bad judgment and has down with NBC’s Lester Holt, that the White
such an erratic temper that he’s not trusted by
House was spinning a fairy tale about why
people who are paid to bolster him and who
the president fired Comey. We knew about
get the most intimate, unvarnished look at him. possible policy changes regarding climate
Some of them have decided that discretion
change and LGBT rights before Trump was
isn’t always the keeping of secrets, not if it
ready to publicize them, because aides checked
protects bad actors. They’re right. And they
and balanced him with leaks to the media.
give me hope.
We discovered this week that an
In one of those nifty and incredibly
administration official had presented to Trump,
revealing confluences of news developments,
and that he believed, a fake cover of a Time
the story about Trump’s dangerously loose
magazine from the 1970s that warned of an
lips with the Russians came out on the same
impending ice age. And we were briefed on his
day that the hosts of “Morning Joe” spoke
imprudent conversation with the Russians.
of Kellyanne Conway’s privately admitted
All of this came from within, and much of it
disgust for Trump, at least back during the
reflects a concern for country — and for truth
campaign.
— that’s greater than any concern for Trump.
This was Conway they were talking about,
Foolish: the failure to account for some aides’
the high priestess of hyperspin, who can look
decency and patriotism.
at the smallest droplet in the largest goblet and
“Don’t be tattletales” was another caution
pronounce the glass half full. Even she saw the from our parents, but it was imperfect — or
emptiness of Trump. Even she cringed. And
at least incomplete. Sometimes tattling is
if that’s the case, there must be more cringing
all that keeps danger at bay. Swampy as
around the president than we realized.
Washington can be, it still harbors creatures
It’s getting worse and worse. Last week in
who understand that.
particular demonstrated that.
■
He gives his lieutenants lies to peddle,
Frank Bruni, an Op-Ed columnist for
creates avoidable messes and then rails if
The New York Times since 2011, joined the
underlings don’t grab their mops and clean up
newspaper in 1995. Over his years, he has
with sufficient cheer and success. Aides will
worn a wide variety of hats, including chief
suck up a whole lot for proximity to power,
restaurant critic and Rome bureau chief.
All of this
came from
within, and
much of it
reflects a
concern
for country
— and the
truth — that’s
greater than
any concern
for Trump.
YOUR VIEWS
Fire station bond will be more
expensive than claimed
Congratulations to Pendleton public safety
committee. I hope everything progresses on
schedule. I will still get the last laugh this fall
when property taxes come out. No one will
be paying 14 cents per thousand dollars of
assessed value.
Rex Morehouse
Pendleton
Renewable fuel standards are
good for fuel industry
Our company has been family owned
since 1961 and we’ve seen many changes to
the fuel industry over the past six decades
— from what it’s used for to how it’s made
— including innovations in clean energy that
have benefited our customers, our industry and
our economy.
These include clean fuel standards phased
in by Congress since 1990 and accelerated by
the Renewable Fuel Standard, which added
biofuels to the mix. These standards prompted
the creation of reformulated gasoline blends
that burn more cleanly than conventional
gasoline, reduce greenhouse gas emissions
and displace toxic gasoline additives that
pollute the air we breathe. For example,
ethanol boosts the octane content of fuel for
better performance, filling a role that formerly
belonged to an additive called MTBE,
infamous for poisoning groundwater supplies.
While we represent only one small
fraction of the fuel market at Campo & Poole
Distributing, we are tremendously proud to
provide Oregon consumers with increasingly
earth-friendly fuels that cut our dependence
on foreign oil and support jobs in agricultural
states like Oregon, where biofuels are
produced from renewable farm crops. At the
same time, our location near the border with
Idaho means that we must deal with two sets
of rules, instead of one, so we are acutely
aware of how regulatory uncertainly can stifle
innovation and investment.
That is why we strongly urge Congressman
Walden and leaders in the new administration
to reject ongoing efforts to alter the RFS
or rewrite fuel standards to boost profits
for a handful of oil refineries. Retailers and
distributors have worked hard to bring new,
clean fuel options to our customers under
the existing law, and changes to the RFS
would destabilize those investments, putting
Oregon’s economic engine and natural beauty
at risk.
Ken Poole
Ontario